Paying for the Funeral
Payment options
Colin Fisher provide many different options to pay for a funeral – those options are all listed below. Colin Fisher will provide you with a fully itemised estimate for the funeral services orders and this estimate needs to be paid in full two days prior to the funeral to avoid postponement of the funeral.
A full and final invoice which may include any last minute adjustments to the services such as additional flowers, extra staff required on the day, funeral running over 3 hours in duration, will be provided within 7 days after the funeral date and the balance should be paid within 14 days of the date of the invoice.
We do appreciate that funerals can be expensive and present very real difficulties to families who have no made prior provision for such expenses – we have therefore provided as many payment options as possible – those payment options are listed below:
1. By cash or by cheque
All cheques should be made payable to Colin Fisher.
2. By debit or credit card
We accept all major credit cards – we do not make a charge for payments by card.
3. By bank transfer
Please ensure you add our funeral reference number to the transfer reference – please ask your arranger or our finance department for the bank account details.
4. Payment from the deceased’s bank account
Should there be sufficient funds within the account to pay for the funeral then all payments for the funeral can be made directly from the deceased’s bank account – you will require a copy of Colin Fisher Invoice, a copy of the death certificate and identification – the benefit of paying via this method is that all such costs are removed from the estate for inheritance tax purposes.
Should there not be sufficient funds to pay for the funeral and a property is required to be sold then Probate will be required – call our legal services help line for assistance. We suggest that you finance the funeral cost via option 4 and when the estate is settled pay off the finance agreement.
5. Funeral Finance
Colin Fisher provide funeral finance via an agreement with FCA regulated provider Funeral Safe Funeral Finance – Colin Fisher Funeral Directors are appointed representatives of Funeral Safe Ltd, independent Funeral Finance Lenders.
6. Assistance from the Department of Work and Pensions
You may seek assistance form the Department of Work and Pensions to help pay for a funeral.
Funeral Finance
Colin Fisher provide funeral finance via an agreement with FCA regulated provider Funeral Safe Funeral Finance – Colin Fisher Funeral Directors are appointed representatives of Funeral Safe Ltd, independent Funeral Finance Lenders.
Payment options
You choose the amount
Whole or part of funeral costs £500 – £7500
You choose the terms
12, 18, 24, 30 or 36 months
You have control
Personal login area to manage your account
How it works
3 simple steps to apply for your finance directly with Colin Fisher Funeral Directors:
1.
You can apply when arranging the funeral with Colin Fisher. Just ask our arranger for finance options and they will organise the application for you.
2.
Upon a successful application you will receive a text message and email containing your loan agreement. If you are happy with everything in the loan agreement you can accept it via the link in the email.
3.
Once you have accepted the agreement we are notified and all that you need do then is make the payments of the loan.
Apply online
Funeral Safe will provide you with a personal account login to manage your finance. Furthermore, they are available to offer any support you may need in regard to the finance and its repayments.
Our funeral finance agreement is very flexible and transparent – should you wish to settle the balance earlier than the agreement states you can do so without penalty and the interest charge will be adjusted to match the payment period.
Assistance from the Department of Work and Pensions
You may seek assistance form the Department of Work and Pensions to help pay for a funeral.
The Department of Work and Pensions will provide a maximum of £700 for the funeral director’s fee and in addition a contribution to the disbursements (fees Colin Fisher pays on your behalf i.e. crematorium fees).
Funeral Expenses Payment can help to pay for some of the costs of the following:
- Burial fees for a particular plot
- Cremation fees, including the cost of the doctor’s certificate
- Travel to arrange or go to the funeral
- The cost of moving the body within the UK, if it’s being moved more than 50 miles
- Death certificates or other documents
- You can also get up to £700 for any other funeral expenses, such as funeral director’s fees, flowers or the coffin.
The payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral. How much you get depends on your circumstances. This includes any other money that’s available to cover the costs, for example from an insurance policy or the deceased person’s estate.
Who qualifies for assistance?
You can get help towards the cost of a funeral if you meet the following conditions. You or your partner are getting one of the following qualifying benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Housing Benefit
- The disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest loan
You can also apply if you or your partner are waiting to hear about a claim for one of these benefits or payments. We use partner to mean:
- A person you live with who is your husband, wife or civil partner, or
- A person you live with as if you are a married couple
You must meet the following criteria:
- You or your partner arranged the funeral in the United Kingdom (UK), and the adult who died had their main home in the UK when they died (by United Kingdom (UK) we mean England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- You or your partner arranged the funeral and you have claimed within 6 months of the date of the funeral
You may also be able to get help towards the cost of a funeral if you or your partner arranged the funeral in the European Economic Area or Switzerland. The European Economic Area countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
Apply for assistance
If you think you qualify and want to make an application – please complete the relevant form:
You must inform Colin Fisher that you wish to make a claim – if you do not this may lead to a postponement of the funeral.
Call the government’s bereavement service helpline (0345 606 0265) or visit their website www.gov.uk/funeral-payments – to find out how to get help with funeral payments and if you’re entitled to any help.
Get in touch
Our team are on-hand to provide advice and support you may need at any point in the process.